


Surviving

by bushViperCutie



Series: October Prompts 2020 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hogshead, Hogsmeade, One Shot, POV Severus Snape, Poison, Potion Brewing (Harry Potter), Potions, Self Prompt, Young Death Eaters, Young Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26784772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushViperCutie/pseuds/bushViperCutie
Summary: Severus works to get his life in order, trying to be independent for the first time in his life.Warnings: Substance abuse, violence(Day 2)
Relationships: Avery Jr. & Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy & Severus Snape, mulciber jr & severus snape
Series: October Prompts 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953055
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Surviving

**Author's Note:**

> Day two! “Poisoned” prompt from snapetober! HAPPY SPOOKTOBER! >:D
> 
>  **Day 2 Prompt:** Poisoned (snapetober day 2) + cave inimicum (Produces a boundary that keeps the caster hidden from others), confringo (produces a fiery explosion), and circumrota (Rotates objects)

#  **~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~**

Diagon Alley was surprisingly packed with wizards so early Wednesday morning. When he’d made the appointment, he thought it’d be the perfect time. Who on Merlin’s earth would be up at seven on a Wednesday when work normally started several hours later? He was even more surprised to see all the shops open.

 _Maybe they stayed open all night? But then when would the shop owners sleep… Though of course even I’ve used WideEye to stay awake for days on end._ He thought about the sudden crash he’d had during transfigurations and shuddered. Never again would he use it for eight days straight.

He pulled the hood up on his cloak – yes the very one from school, though he’d ripped the bloody Hogwarts crest clean off the second he graduated. No need to get rid of a perfectly good cloak. He learned that from his mother. One of the many, and yet few, things he’d learned from her.

He walked along the cobbled streets, keeping his head down and concentrating on his walk, and turned a corner leading down a twisting alleyway. Knockturn Alley, where his appointment was being held. He leaned on a curved metal post, looking for the ‘Man in the Red Witch Hat’, as his friends called him.

The Man in the Red Witch Hat was having a special, about fifty to sixty percent off his usual seeds depending on how well he liked you. Severus didn’t have a big budget, he had never had enough to save during his school days and the job he had now paid in warm meals and a roof over his head, but the tips were fine enough.

He normally hated shops, and working in one was a nightmare. He hated talking to people. The way they sneered at him. _As if those bastards looked any better._ It wasn’t his fault his personal upkeep had gotten worse since graduation. He’s been wearing the same clothes – washes them in the sink every Sunday – and hasn’t bother to cut or even comb his hair. Of course it doesn’t matter what he looked like working in the shop, all he had to do was sweep and prepare pots and dust off roots. Occasionally he’d have to make a home delivery – which is where the tips came in – but that was it.

 _There he is._ Severus spotted the red witch hat across the street. The man was tall and made the brim covered his eyes. They were already in a shady alley, and yet the fact the man was acting even shadier gave him a giddy type of excitement. _He must have some bottles too._

He peeled himself from the post and joined the few weary wizards walking the opposite direction before making a complete turn and walking back, trying not to draw too much attention to the man as instructed. As he approached, the man ducked between two shops and Severus had to squeeze in just to follow.

Severus didn’t have broad shoulders and had an annoyingly slender and lanky figure which made him even more confused due to the fact that he was having trouble reaching the end when the broad shouldered man seemed to be gliding down just fine. He popped out the other end into a small room-like area with trashcans and crates all around. The man turned and Severus tried not to appear shocked.

The Man in the Red Witch Hat was a boy no older than himself, maybe nineteen at the most. His cloak had some obvious padding up close. _Is he supposed to be intimidating?_

“I’ve got what you want… and more.”

“More?” Severus smiled wickedly, gripping the coins in his trousers. He knew Avery – and especially Mulciber – would go ballistic when he came back with more than just the seeds. Especially if what was in the bottles could lead to some extreme brews.

The guy pulled a case out of the air and opened it, exposing hundreds of little bottles with powders, wings, stones, gems, liquids, ooze, glowing lights, and hairs. It was a treasure-trove of Ministry-banned potions ingredients. The guy held up a purple pouch of what he assumed to be the seeds he’d owled him about.

“That’ll be forty.” The man smiled and bounced the pouch around.

Severus tried not to smile, knowing he’d lowered the price below the agreed upon amount in order to entice him to buy a little extra. He pulled out the coins and traded for the pouch, tucking it into his other pocket.

“Right. How much then.” Severus hated the smile that pulled on the guy’s face. He hated giving him the impression his little ruse had worked. It hadn’t. He’d figured it out. There was nothing ‘smart’ about him or his business practices.

“Fifty per bottle – that’s already on discount so don’t try bartering.”

Severus frowned. The bottles were tiny, about the width and length of his pinky fully extended. He pulled his face in closer for a better look at his wares.

“Don’t smudge the glass,” the guy mumbled.

He gave him a side-glare and pulled back a bit, inspecting each label and their contents. He picked two – he couldn’t afford any more – and gave him the last of his coins, leaving himself only two Knuts in his pockets.

The guy closed up his case immediately upon receiving the payment, pulled out his wand, and disappeared where he stood. Severus turned and squeezed back out the small alley onto the twisting street. He walked into the closest shop and took out his bag of Floo powder, just enough to make it back to Avery’s place.

~ * ~ * ~

They were waiting for him by the kitchen, hexing knives to fling themselves towards Avery’s cat. Severus stepped out of the fireplace and coughed multiple times, trying to clear his lungs. They turned and waited. He pulled out the pouch and they cheered, sending extra knives out of their drawers. He stepped over the trembling cat and placed the two bottles on the counter, raising his eyebrows in victory.

“You’ve got more!” Avery laughed and smacked the counter next to the bottles, making Severus jump with momentary panic.

“Ha! I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist!” Mulciber shoved his shoulder and stood, taking down three cauldrons. “How much we got left?”

They’d been brewing Mulciber’s special recipe for several weeks now, trying to get it just right to allow for the very peak of its effects to last longer. When they’d started, the recipe was atrocious, but with a little effort, he’d gotten it nearly perfect, or so they told him. He always refused to taste any of his own brews, knowing he couldn’t afford whatever addiction could occur from the wrong batch.

“Enough. We don’t need much of the powder per cauldron full. We could make real money with this.” Severus smiled. He could finally start saving.

“Then start it Sev. I’ll owl Lucius, see if he can get his friends together by this weekend.” Avery left up the stairs to his owl.

Mulciber laid on the living room carpet as Severus started, stretching out so his feet touched the kitchen counter and his hands touched the fireplace. He always refused to use the couch, which was the length of the whole room, and decided he liked tormenting the cat that hid under it better.

Within days the brew was made and Avery and Mulciber were laying on the only floor space of the whole ground floor, mumbling to themselves. Their eyes were glazed over and occasionally their mumblings would get loud and shaky. They always looked to be in pain to him, but when they came out of it they said it was the greatest happiness they’d ever felt in their lives.

That was another reason why Severus didn’t want to try it. He was done with happiness. _Forever._

~ * ~ * ~

The meeting with Lucius had gone fine. He’d brought his friends – or so he called them, though it never felt like he liked them very much – and several of them had tasted the potion and been knocked out for hours. It was then that Lucius had pulled him aside. They’d gone up to Avery’s bed and Lucius had told him the men downstairs were part of ‘the cause’ and that he had joined them last month. That was Lucius’ way of saying there was a pack of Death Eaters in the house just down the stairs.

Severus had been showed the official Dark Mark on his arm, and Lucius had told him what it was like to be one of them. The power. The influence. People did what he told them to do and several Ministry officials backed him up. He had recognition beyond just the Malfoy name.

“If I want a promotion in the Ministry, all I have to do is ask for it. They fear me… Severus. You want that power too. I know you do.” Lucius had stood by the window, looking out with his cane held in his gloved hands. “Why are you so afraid to take it?”

“I want it,” he’d whispered. “I want to be taken seriously… I’m tired of being cast aside! I’m not rubbish, I’m not worthless. I deserve – ”

“To be accepted.” Lucius had known exactly what to say.

~ * ~ * ~

He carried thirty thumb-sized bottles in his cloak pockets. Five of Mulciber’s recipe and the rest were all of what Lucius had told him to brew. He walked into Hogshead and sat at a back-corner table, taking out last week’s daily prophet and hid behind it, keeping his hood up.

Every ten minutes someone cloaked would walk in and sit across from him. They’d ask about a headline and depending on the one, Severus would pull out a bottle. They’d slip the money under the paper and he’d slip them the bottle, never seeing the hooded figure again. He did that for months. Any time he didn’t spend at his job he spent brewing and bottling and selling on the weekends. He made enough money every week to afford a house like Avery’s, down by the edge of the village, but he never kept any of it, not even the money from Mulciber’s recipe. Every week Lucius would come down to his place and collect.

After a long day of selling, Severus packed up and left the shady pub.

Lucius knocked loudly on the door just up the stairs behind the shop, making Severus jump. This wasn’t a day he was expecting him, but he was excited to see him nonetheless. He pulled open the door and smiled, welcoming him in.

“Severus. How are you?” Lucius entered, cane swinging on his right hand. He stood taller and seemed to demand more attention than normal. “I’ve come by early to deliver a message.”

Severus closed the door and dropped onto his bed, wincing as dust burst into the air. Lucius knew how poor he was, but the dust cloud seemed a bit over the top. “What message?”

Lucius stood beside the chair by the window and raised a brow. “You’re producing quite the funds for us… Severus, there are many impressed with your work.”

His heart fluttered at the praise. He bit his cheek, trying to keep from smiling and nodded lazily. “Yeah?”

Lucius chuckled. “You could be selling much more expensive things. So expensive you could actually keep a good amount and get out of this…” he looked around and sighed, never finishing his sentence. “You could live somewhere better suited to your needs. A place with an actual kitchen so you didn’t have to brew in your own bedroom.”

Severus pulled on some loose strings on his shirt, watching them zig apart and grow larger. He avoided his eyes, knowing what it would take to gain enough trust to be handed large amounts of the ingredients he was given to brew with. Lucius pulled up his sleeve and got on the bed with him, surprising him completely. Lucius hated touching anything in his place and avoided staying longer than he needed to.

“It’s a symbol. Severus. A symbol you’re a part of something.” The snake on Lucius’ skin almost shimmered, as if it was an image reflecting of water. They were both quiet, watching the dark eyes of the skull. “Is she still holding you back? Do you still expect to go back to being friends with – ”

Severus felt a flash of anger. He sat up and scoffed, staring into Lucius’ steady eyes. “What a stupid thing to say,” he spat.

Lucius pulled down his sleeve and stood, heading for the door. “Then I’ll leave you with the message and let you think on it.” The door opened on its own and he turned. “Just because we’ve all graduated school, doesn’t mean we don’t have your back.”

Severus squeezed his fists and heard the door shut. _I’m not weak anymore._

~ * ~ * ~

Severus stuffed his hands in his pocket and shook them around, hearing the coins jingle and clink. He did that after every tip, loving the sound. It was like hearing freedom ring in his ears. Sometimes he thought about visiting home finally just to shove the shiny gold in his father’s face. _That old fool would probably smell the ruddy pouch, try to inhale it for himself, desperate and pathetic. Sorry Da, looks like you were wrong. I don’t need you. I never did. You’re the poor stupid fool living in that house._

He hopped on the old broom and pushed off hard. The broom was so old it had small branches growing out the sides. He ripped all but two off, using them as handles. It took an hour to get back to the shop, but he used that time to relax. If he wasn’t asleep, then he was spending his whole day working or brewing. It was nice to get some peace every once in a while.

He arrived home just as the rain started to really pour and left the broom under the stairs, tied to the underside of a step with charmed twine the shop owner had given him. He pulled his hood down and climbed the stairs up in a rush, pushing his door open.

He shrugged his cloak off onto the floor and pushed the door with his foot, except it wouldn’t close all the way, staying ajar. He groaned and pushed on it with all his might. “Close!” He kicked it but it wouldn’t budge. He sighed and moved his only chair to lean up against the door, pushing it in place against the wind. _It’ll do for now._

He pulled the bedsheet off and wrapped it around his shoulders, opening the top cupboard and took down a jar of pickles. The shop owner always brought him back food from the store when he went, but Severus had the sneaking suspicion that he was given cheap, almost expired food.

He dropped the lid and fell back on his bed. The loud groan that came from falling back on it no longer scared him. He’d thrown himself onto the bed so often, sure that the bed would break, that he hardly noticed it anymore, knowing that it likely could not be broken, not with his own weight.

He bit into a pickle and dropped it back in the juice, sucking on his fingers and wiping them on his trousers. He blurred his vision, going over the steps to one of the newer brews Lucius had handed him instructions for, when he felt a prick in the back of his throat.

It felt like a needle was sticking out inside his throat, poking into the walls of his flesh, stinging. He coughed, sitting up to produce more power but the needle multiplied. The needles stuck deep into his mouth and throat, making it painful to move. His hands scraped his tongue, trying to find the needles and pull them out but there was nothing but thick saliva.

When he pulled his fingers back, the tips had blue bulging veins. Poison. He was being poisoned. He fell out of bed, gasping for relief, feeling his muscles begin to tire, and dragged himself to the cabinets under the sink. He was half way down the small stretch of hardwood when the bathroom door opened and someone in a red witch’s hat stepped out.

“Good to see you again.”

Severus stopped, glaring up at him.

“It’s belixy poison. Slow acting, but painful.” The boy smacked his lips and rubbed his hands together. “Here’s the thing, friend – ” he opened up the drawers and cabinets, knocking everything Severus used for brewing potions to the ground. “My employer’s received word our supplier has a better deal. Thinkin’ ‘bout dropping us completely.”

Severus groaned, spitting his saliva out in an instinctual attempt to get the needles off his tongue.

“’Parrently those Death Eaters and their Dark Lord been making so much money off illegal brews with our Ministry-banned ingredients, they’re thinkin’ of expanding.” He kicked a cauldron out of his way and sat on the floor in front of him. “Been using some real nasty stuff on those Muggles in Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, and even my London?” He tisked.

Severus spit on his shoes.

“Dick’ead!” He smacked Severus’ head and pulled him up by the collar. “I’m tryin’ to talk to ya!”

Severus got on his knees, gripping onto his own collar as he was pulled up. He could feel his feet begin to numb and waited for the guy to let go. The second he did, ready to state his demands, Severus stuck his hand in his left pocket and pulled out his wand.

He held it up and rasped, “Confringo!”

A red light blasted from the tip of his wand and blew them back in a fiery explosion. Severus was flung back on his bed and rolled off quickly, getting to his feet as best he could. He couldn’t feel them, and the numbness was creeping up his shins now and up his hand as well.

He looked around at the flames scattered everywhere and hunched over to escape the accumulating smoke. He saw the guy had been blasted into the bathroom and heard him coughing. Severus turned and limped over to the chair, throwing it aside and swung the door open. He hobbled down the stairs and flung himself under them, hissing “Cave Inimicum!”

He whispered it over and over as he dragged himself under the bottom steps as the guy barreled down them, looking around wildly for him. He turned everywhere, and looked right passed him, unable to spot him through the boundary he cast, keeping him hidden. After a few minutes of digging around, the guy apparated away.

~ * ~ * ~

The numbness was up to his knees and elbows now. Severus dragged himself into the shop through the back door and crawled through the un-swept dirt on the ground. He flipped himself as he reached the back wall and looked up at the edge of the counter. There were a few leaves that just needed to be tipped into his mouth and the feeling would return to his limbs long enough for him to brew a cure.

He raised his wand and tried to flick, watching his hand twitch slightly. The leaves moved but looked like they were trapped under something. Severus slid sideways and did his best to lift his head, spotting a pot holding them down.

He lifted his wand again, falling back onto his back. “Circumrota,” he wheezed. The pot rotated and the leaves were pushed out from under it, falling gently to the floor. Severus moved onto his side and stuck his tongue out, licking the leaves into his mouth one by one and sucked on them until he could feel his toes.

~ * ~ * ~

After a grueling hour, his tongue no longer felt on fire, his gums no longer stung, and his throat didn’t feel like it was being pricked with every breath he took. He rubbed his neck and sat at the stool in the back of the shop, sobbing into his elbow. He gripped his wand with a trembling hand and tried his best to keep his shoulders from shaking so violently.

He felt vile. He was weak and pathetic and easy prey for the world. _Why did I think things could get better? It wasn’t Hogwarts that made my life so horribly miserable. It’s me. I exist to be stepped on and beaten time and time again._

He pulled his chin to rest on his wrist, staring at a distant candle through blurry eyes. He sniffed and wiped his nose. He needed to find Lucius. He needed to join Avery and Mulciber. He needed them. He couldn’t survive on his own.

#  **~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~**


End file.
